


Training Sessions

by StarXrossed



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M, everyone's gonna end up in this but for right now it's just those two so i'll edit as necessary, this is self-indulgent bullshit don't look at me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 04:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1592441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarXrossed/pseuds/StarXrossed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei asks Rin for advice and critique on his butterfly.  Rin begrudgingly complies.  He doesn't anticipate actually getting attached to Speedo Glasses, but hey.  Shit happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Log 01

**Author's Note:**

> okay so for starters let me mention that this was spurred on by the fact that I was a swimmer for twelve years and I favored butterfly so this started out as me wanting to have my favorite characters interacting over my favorite stroke but then shipping happened so WE'LL GET THERE just please forgive all my swimming babble swimming is v important to me

"Rin-san!" 

Rin made a face.

He had come by Iwatobi High for a brief visit to drop off a stroke-and-turn rule book that Makoto had asked for, to check up on the legality of his teammates' strokes and turns.  It should have been a quick trip, five to seven minutes tops even with saying hello to Haruka and Nagisa.  Just as he was leaving the pool area, he heard footsteps pound up behind him.  He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. 

"What is it, Ryuugazaki," he asked flatly, as the blue-haired young man pulled up around and stopped before him.

There was a long pause as Rei seemed to think his words over; then, he abruptly bent in half, blurting out, "Please help me with my butterfly!"

Rin stared blankly at the back of the boy's head.  "What."

 "Please, Rin-san!  Makoto-senpai said that you were easily the most knowledgeable about butterfly, and Kou-san said that you trained under some of the most elite coaches during your time in Australia--I can think of no one who knows more about proper butterfly technique than you!  It would be an--an _honor_ to learn under your tutelage."  He lifted his head up enough to look Rin in the eye.  He hesitated, then added, "I know that...that we are rivals, and I understand if that prevents you from wanting to help me.  But, please.  I would be...forever endebted."

 Damn _right_ they were rivals: Rei had taken Rin's spot as the third leg of the medley relay, and to be honest, he wasn't even very _good_ at it.  Passable, maybe.  But overall, he was a shoddy replacement, and it was a never-ending source of annoyance for the redhead.

 But there was something so earnest in the way that Rei stared at him, his tone laced with pleading, that caused Rin's mouth to move despite himself.  "Fine."

 "...w-wait, you mean you'll do it?"

 "If you stop bowing like that, yeah." 

 Rei bolted upright, mouth agape.  "Th-that's--!  I mean--!"  And there he was, moving up and down like a drinky bird.  "Thank you!  Rin-san!"

 The redhead rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets.  "Yeah, yeah.  You know where Samezuka's pool is, right?"  When Rei nodded his assent, he continued, "be there at eight tonight.  Bring a swim suit and towel.  If you're not there on time, I'm leaving.  You better be serious about this."

 

* * *

 

He briefly debated asking Seijuro if it was okay to use the pool for something other than official practice, but he decided he'd rather take his chances.  Besides, he ran the risk of his captain using this as a bartering tool in his attempt to ask out Rin's little sister, and giving Seijuro any kind of leverage was something Rin wanted to avoid if at _all_ possible.

Afternoon practice ended at five, meaning the pool area should be empty and clear.  Even if a straggler or two stayed behind to get in extra yardage, no one ever stayed past six, which meant Rin had plenty of time to meander his way down to the pool and think about what kind of drills he would need.

As he slipped out of his dorm room, he grabbed his equipment bag, stuffing his kickboard, pull buoy, and hand paddles inside.  He briefly debated fins as well, but he wasn't sure exactly what size Rei's feet were, so he ultimately decided against it.  Bag and towel in hand, he set out for the pool.

By 7:24, he'd reached the doors and was greeted with a blast of warm, chlorine-laden air.  In an odd way, it was kind of comforting.  Familiar.  The only sounds in the entire natatorium were the water lightly lapping against the gutters and his footsteps as he walked along the deck.  He tossed his bag at the end of lane one, setting his towel and jacket against the wall and out of the splash zone. 

Why did he even agree to this in the first place?  Rei was his _rival_ .  No—his _replacement_ .  And not even a very good one: his butterfly was mediocre at best.  Even Makoto had a better fly, and he was _not_ a short-axis swimmer.  The team must have been really desperate if they threw such a subpar swimmer into their relay.

And that kid had the nerve to come to _him_ for advice?  Wow. 

But there must be something about him, some sort of appeal that Rin was missing.  Nagisa and Makoto had warmed up to him almost immediately, and even Haru seemed to treat him with something more than indifference.  And Gou had mentioned that, despite his eccentricities, Rei had an incredible work ethic and was more than willing to put hours on end into “achieving perfection”, as she’d put it. 

 Maybe there _was_ something to this new kid.

 “Rin-san!”

 The voice echoed against the concrete walls of the natatorium, jolting Rin from his thoughts.  His gaze instinctively flew to the clock on the wall: 7:50.  Well.  At least he was _punctual_.

“So you _were_ serious.”

“O-of--  Of course, I was,” Rei responded, almost affronted.  He pushed his glasses up his nose, brows knitting.  “I would never joke about something like this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rin muttered, waving a hand dismissively.  “Get stretched out and hop in the water.” 

Even Rin had to admit that Rei was extremely flexible, as he effortlessly pressed his nose against the ground in his center split.  He had a good build for a swimmer, at least.  Maybe there was some promise there. 

Once the blue-haired man felt he was sufficiently stretched, he took off his glasses, setting them atop his towel.  He hesitated for a moment with his cap, then looked at Rin.  “Would you mind…?”

Rin blinked.  “You’re kidding.  Aren’t you, like, sixteen?”

“I still haven’t gotten the hang of it,” he admitted sheepishly.  Rin let out an exasperated puff before taking the top of the cap in his hands.  After a countdown, he flipped the silicon up and over, catching almost all of Rei’s hair beneath it. 

“Now give me a five-hundred warm up.”

“…a-a.  A five-hundred what?”

“Y’know.  Freestyle.  20 laps.”  Was he speaking Arabic? 

Rei shifted awkwardly.  “I.  Um.  I only swim butterfly.”

“ _What._   …y-you.  You _can’t_ be serious.”  But the clearly embarrassed look on Rei’s face said otherwise.  Rin pressed the heel of his hand in the middle of his forehead, lips pulling into a taut grimace.  Seriously.  The rest of the team must have been _really_ desperate.  How the hell could this dude swim nothing _but_ butterfly?  Of all strokes, butterfly.

“Fine.  Just.  Do a three-hundred kick and a two-hundred pull.”  When Rei stared at him blankly, he elaborated, “twelve laps of freestyle or dolphin kick, eight laps of freestyle pull.”

Rin stood at the end of the lane, watching Rei’s warm-up with the intensity of a hawk.  His kick was decent—not too deep or violent, not too much knee bending.  His arms could use a little work, but mostly, his technique was spot on.  So…why couldn’t he swim freestyle?

Rei threw the pull buoy on the deck, flapping his hands until the hand paddles slipped off his middle fingers so that he was able to pull them off.  “How was that?”

“How the shit are you unable to swim freestyle?” Rin muttered, hands on his hips.

Rei blinked, then chuckled awkwardly.  “I dunno, I—“

"Show me.”

“What?”

“Show me your freestyle.”

“I don’t know what difference that’ll make—“

“ _Show me._ ”

A few moments (and a sputtering Rei) later, Rin had to conclude that, yes, despite being technically correct in every aspect, Rei could most certainly _not_ swim freestyle.

He groaned, then sighed slowly.  “Fine.  Let’s, uh.  Let’s work with what we can.  How’s your streamline?”

“My wha—oh, you mean this?”  Rei put his arms up by his ears, one hand atop the other above his head.

“Yeah, that.  Get out on land, though, I can’t see it well when you’re in the water.”

And so the young man hoisted himself out of the water, moving to stand before Rin.  When the redhead nodded, Rei assumed the position he had been in moments before.

Rin looked the boy up and down.  “Feet together,” he said, nudging Rei’s feet together with his own.  “Arms taut and high.”  He leaned in, grasping Rei’s upper arms and squashing them against his ears.  “Hands on top of one another.”  He moved to the side, placing one hand atop Rei’s abdomen and the other against his back.  “Stomach tucked in, one long line.”

He wish he hadn’t let his eyes drift down; maybe he wouldn’t have noticed the now apparent hard-on that Rei was experiencing. 

He failed to stifle his “ _fuck_ ”, causing Rei to become aware that, yeah, it was pretty obvious.  His cheeks flushed.  “R-rin-san, no, I’m so s-s-sorry, it’s _not_ what you think, I—“

“You went from a cold pool to warm air, blood starts flowing from your core back to all your extremities—I get it,” Rin snapped, moving from Rei’s side to stand behind him.  Anything to get away from… _that_.  He ran a finger from the top of Rei’s neck down his spine, ignoring the shiver that accompanied.  “Imagine I’ve got a string running from the top of your hands down to your feet.  You want that string to stay perfectly still and straight.  The only way you’re going to be able to do that is to stay taut the entire time.  You feel?”

“I-i…think I understand.”

“Can you do it in the water?”

“I can try.”

“Let me see it, then.”

Thirty minutes later, and Rin had all but perfected Rei’s streamline and underwater dolphin kick.  He looked at the clock, then squatted beside the lane.  “Alright, out.”

“Out?” 

“That’s all we’re doing for the evening.”

“W-wait, I thought you were going to help with my butterfly—“

Rin narrowed his eyes.  “What the hell do you think we were doing?  Shit, you need a good foundation before you can get to the stroke itself.  If you have a shitty streamline, then what’s the point?  Fix the simple stuff first, then move up.  Start off simple.”  He stood up.  “If you’re serious about this, come back on Thursday.  Same time, same place.  We’ll start the stroke work proper then.”

“You swear?”

“Ugh.  Really, Ryugazaki?  You’re gonna question me on this?”

“I’m more ensuring that you’re not leading me on,” Rei muttered.

“Why would I do that?” Rin scoffed.  “What do I have to gain from not helping you?”

“Well.  For starters, perhaps you want to sabotage your old team’s prospects in future relays?”

The man spun around, glowering down at Rei.  “Get out of the water.”

“Wh—“

"Get out so I can _punch you in the mouth._ ”  Rin’s eyes blazed, his words sharp.  “Don’t you ever so much as _think_ any kind of _bullshit_ like that.  They’re still my teammates.  They’re still my friends.  And like _hell_ am I going to let you _embarrass_ them with your shittastic excuse for a fly, _do you understand me_.”

The color drained from Rei’s face as he stammered back an incoherent response.

“Now get _out_ of the pool.  And go _home_.”  Rin shoved his equipment back in his bag, tugging his jacket back on.  “And don’t ever let me catch wind of you saying something like that _ever again_.”


	2. Log 02

Rin’s mind wandered as he trekked back to his dorm.  Perhaps he’d been a bit too…harsh.  The wounded puppy-dog look on Rei’s face as he scrambled out of the pool still lingered in the back of Rin’s mind.  It was honestly quite annoying.

But, shit, how else was he going to learn?  Start at the basics.  The small stuff.  Otherwise, well… that was how _injuries_ happened. 

Rin _still_ didn’t appreciate the insinuation that he was trying to undermine his former teammates, though.  Where did that prick get off, making accusations like that?  If he was going to beat Iwatobi’s relay, he wanted to do it fair and square, on equal footing.  And at the rate they were going, that sure as _shit_ wasn’t going to happen without some kind of intervention.  And if _he_ was that intervention, so be it.

(It still baffled him how Rei couldn’t swim freestyle, but that wasn’t the important part.  It was the _medley_ relay they competed in, not the freestyle relay.)

As the redhead entered his room, he threw his equipment in the floor beside his shoes and fins, glancing over at Aiichiro’s bed.  Empty.  Good.  He flopped down on his own mattress, groaning loudly into his pillow.

Just what the hell had he gotten himself _into_.

* * *

“I almost didn’t expect you to show up again.”

Rei set his clothes and towel against the wall as he had two days prior, nodding slightly.  He wouldn’t meet Rin’s eyes, and to be honest?  It was getting kind of unnerving.  Rin started to comment on that fact when the bespectacled boy shoved a folded piece of paper into his hands.  The redhead blinked in mild confusion before turning his attention to the paper, unfolding it slowly.  The handwriting inside was small and neat, written in straight lines despite the lack of lines on the paper itself.

_Rin-san_

_I apologize for any rude assumptions I may have made yesterday.  It was out of line for me, and I did not mean to offend or upset you.  I hope that you can forgive me and that we can continue our sessions.  I greatly respect your prowess as a swimmer and will not question your judgment again._

_Ryugazaki Rei_

Rin read the note over once, twice, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to articulate a response.  He finally settled on, “did Makoto put you up to this?”

Rei shook his head.  “No, I realize that what I said was wrong.  And hurtful.  I shouldn’t have assumed you were doing this out of any sort of ill will.”  His voice was quieter than yesterday.  “I won’t question your methods or motives anymore.”

The change was astonishing.  Rin wasn’t quite sure how to react.  “I.  E-er.  …okay, then?”  He fidgeted, then waved his hand towards the pool.  “Do you, uh.  You wanna go ahead and start?”

“Yes, of course.”

The silence was almost suffocating as Rei went through his stretching routine.  Rin tried to busy himself by pulling his equipment out of his bag, but that only took seconds, and so he hovered awkwardly as the other boy methodically loosened his muscles.  Finally, after three minutes that seemed to drag on for an hour, Rei tugged the cap that had been tucked under the band of his speedo.  He fidgeted with the cap, trying to pull it on himself, but ultimately only succeeding in slapping himself in the face and forehead with the silicon. 

“Let me help,” Rin said finally, partially aggravated with Rei’s inability to flip it himself, but mostly ready to end the awkward silence that lingered in the air.  Rei opened his mouth—probably to protest—but seemed to think better of it and instead handed Rin part of the cap, allowing the redhead to pull it over his hair.  He stepped over to the side of the pool, sliding in and pulling his goggles over his eyes.  Rei looked at Rin expectantly.

“Same as yesterday?”

“Wh—  Yeah, same warm-up.”  Rin kicked the pull buoy, paddles, and kickboard over to Rei, who grabbed the board and set off on his warm-up.  Rei’s splashes reverberated off the walls, breaking the otherwise heavy silence.  When he finally finished his sets, he held onto the wall, pulling his goggles off and squinting at Rin. 

“What next?”

Rin crossed his arms, considering his options.  Well.  First things first.  “Give me a fifty of fly, let me see what I’m working with.”

Rei nodded obediently, kicking off the wall.  Well.  At least his streamline was flawless, Rin noticed.  But his stroke itself….  “Rhythm is way off,” he mused as he watched.  “Missing the second kick.  Recovery _could_ be worse, but….”

Rin slapped his hands on the wall, coming up and taking a deep breath before staring up at Rin.  “What…do…you think?” he asked, his words punctuated with breaths.

“Well.  At least you’ve got the two-hand touch down,” Rin said cheerfully.  When Rei looked less than amused, he hurriedly added, “it could use some work, but it wasn’t _bad_.  …okay, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting,” he amended.

Rei’s face fell.  “Is…that so….”

“They’re pretty easy fixes, though!”  Shit.  Was he actually feeling bad for criticizing this kid’s stroke?  “Your arm placement needs tweaking, since you’re bringing your hands too close to your center on your recovery.  And you’re missing your second kick, but that’s mostly because your rhythm is off.  If you fix your timing, the kick’ll fall in naturally.  So that’s the most important part—getting that timing fixed.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“Well.”  Rin pondered for a moment, debating the best course of action.  “First things first, remember that body roll we worked on the other day?”  Rei nodded.  “Great.  That’s the motion for butterfly.  All you have to do is add in the arms.”  He hesitated, then motioned towards the deck.  “Hop out for a second.”  Rei complied, hoisting himself out of the pool as Rin rummaged through one of the equipment bins on the side of the pool deck.  He came back, laying out four kickboards end on end.  “Lay down on your stomach.  Good.  Streamline.”  Rei snapped to attention.  “Ay, there you go.  Okay, so when I say ‘one’, kick your feet—“  He bent Rei’s knees and lifted his calves up and down.  “—and bring your arms to your side.”  Rei responded in kind, moving his arms from their streamlined position so that his fingers touched his thighs.  “Good.  Now, when I say ‘two’, kick your legs again—“  He paused as Rei did as he was told.  “—and bring your arms up so that they’re in line with your shoulders.”

Rei twisted his head to look at Rin.  “Not streamline?”

“Nah, figured I’d kill two birds with one stone here.  You have this bad habit of rolling your shoulders, and it makes swimming fly a lot harder than it needs to be.  You’re less tempted to do it if you adjust where your hands enter the water.  We’ll talk about that later, though, just do what I said.”  And so Rei brought his arms up to the correct spot.  “Alright.  So.  _One!_ ”  Rei kicked, bringing his arms down.  “ _Two!_ ”  Rei kicked and returned his arms to their starting position.  “ _One!  Two!  One!  Two!  One!  Two-one!_ ”

The capped boy sputtered at the Rin’s last commands, causing the redhead to chuckle.  “Sorry.  My coaches always used to do that.  Couldn’t resist.  But that’s about the timing you should have in the water.  You just have to.  Y’know.  Throw in a body roll.”

“How do you do that, exactly?”

“Well, see, you press your chest down to start the roll.  And it should naturally roll from there to your feet, and that causes your kick to fall in where it should.  And you should press your chest when you start your pull and start your recovery.”  Rei stared quizzically at Rin.  “Just.  Just get in the water.”

And so Rin coached Rei through all the steps, meticulously walking him through every part of the body roll and where it lined up with the strokes.  After the better part of an hour, Rin motioned towards the wall.  “That was good!  You’re getting better with your timing.  It definitely still needs practice, but you’re moving in the right direction, at least.  So.  I’m thinking we call it a night and regroup on Monday.  Sound good?”

Rei hopped out on the deck, pulling his cap and goggles off in a single motion.  “That…sounds fine.”  He paused, then sighed.  “Thank you for working with me.  Again.  A-and.  I-I apologize for the things I said last time—“

“Let it go, Rei.”  Rin shrugged, tugging the ponytail holder out of his hair and ruffling a hand through it.  “Shit happens, words were said, it was bad for everyone involved.  Just.  I’m willing t’ let it go if you are.  So just.  Drop it, okay?”  Rei blinked, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times before Rin smirked.  “You look like a fish when you do that.”

The blue-haired boy made a face as he slipped his glasses on and met Rin’s gaze.  “Fine, then,” he said finally.  He hesitated, then added, “but I _am_ sorry—“

“ _Rei, shut uuuup_ ,” Rin groaned, staring at the ceiling and pressing his palm onto his forehead.  He could have _sworn_ he heard a chuckle from Rei, but when he turned his attention back to the boy, he was expressionless.  Maybe he…imagined it…?

“So.  E-er.  Same time Monday?” Rei asked, slipping his track jacket back on.

“Yeah, man, sounds good to me.” 

“A-all right, then.”  Tugging the pants on, Rei made his way to the double doors of the natatorium.  “Oh, and Rin-san?  Thank you again!”

“Yeah, yeah, get on home,” Rin called, rolling his eyes but waving back to Rei all the same.  And for a split second, he thought he saw a grin stretch across the younger boy’s face.

And despite himself, he grinned himself.

Maybe that kid wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
